Hair curling device



Nov. 3, 1953 R, E. REED ET AL HAIR CURLING DEVICE Filed May 5, 1952INVENTOR.S

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zJTTOR/VEP Patented Nov. 3, 195:;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HAIR CURLING DEVICE Raymond E..Reed andJoseph H. Brant, Arlington Heights, and Raymond J. Olson, Skokie, Ill.,assignors to The Gillette Company Boston, Mass., a corporation ofDelaware Application May 3, 1952, Serial No. 285,894

'1 Claims.

2 V in terms of the embodiment thereof represented by the accompanyingdrawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the sleeve elementseparated from the other parts;

Fig. 2 shows the assembled curler in side elevation;

Fig. 3 is a right-hand end view of the curler as represented in Fig. 2;and

Figs. 4-6 are sections taken on the lines indicated in Fig. 2.

capable of rendering the hair plastic through reduction of the disulfidebonds in the hair keratin. The restoration of these bonds, with settingof the hair in the configuration determined by the curling rods, isnormally achieved through application to the hair of a so-calledneutralizing solution, ordinarily an aqueous solution of hydrogenperoxide, sodium perborate or sodium bromate, such solution beingapplied in increments with intervening working periods of from,

5 to minutes, the last increment being applied after the hair has beenunwound from the curling rods.

Recently, a process was developed differing from the conventionalprocedure particularly in that a neutralizing solution is not required.Such process is described in detail in the co-pending application ofAlfred E. Brown, Serial No. 257,433,

variation of the process, a neutralizing solution is used but not untilafter substantial aerial oxidation of the hair has occurred. 7 We havefound that thecurling device herein provides exceptionally good resultswhen the' hair is waved according to the Brown process, although itsutility isnowise limited to such process.

A curler conforming to the present invention is distinguished, interalia, by the inclusionof aslceve element which embraces or surrounds thewinding rod to increase the effective wrapping surface thereof As usedin the above process, the sleeve element is removed from the winding rodafter the hair has been-towel-blottedfollowing the rinsing step, withthe-result that the hair becomes fixed orset in a relatively loose curlof relatively large diameter.

,We'shall particularly describe ourinvention- The curler throughout of aplastic material. as polystyrene for example. It will be observed ascomprisa ing, in addition to the sleeve element it, a hair windingmember l2 and a clasp member 54. Mediate the opposed flanges it and isintegral with the body of the winding member, such;

member is provided with grooves 2i) (Fig. l) which delineate ribs 22.These grooves 26 provide channels facilitating the distribution of thewaving solution and also the neutralizing solution, if one is used. Aplurality of projections 24 extending radially outwardly of the ribs 22centrally of the length of the winding member between the flanges iiiandl8, carry teeth or spikes 28 which grip the end paper useduto collectthe strands of hair at the beginning of the winding or curling oper--ation.

Flange it of the winding member 12 has the form of a wheel includingspokes 23 and carries projecting serrations 30 enabling ready grippingof the. flange with the fingers in the manipulation of the windingmember.

7 rib 29, the purpose of which will later appear.

terminates at its end opposite the flange it, and which is of lesserdiameter than the latter flange,

also carries projecting serrations or saw teeth 38 to enable readygripping with the fingers, these serrations being separated by smoothareas 40,-whichare'in alignmentwith the correspondis most suitablyconstructed The, outer. face. of the flange is recessed to provide anannular.

ing areas 42 of the flange It. A boss 44 inward of the flange 18includes a frusto-conical portion 46 (Fig. 2) and a portion 48 havingnotches 50 therein, the function of which will be explained hereinafter.

A pin 52 outward of the flange l8, and caxial with such flange and thebody of the winding member I2, carries a ball 54 which is received inapertures 56 in the yoke portion 58 of the clasp member [4 (Fig. 3).This ball and socket connection enables rotational movement of either ofthe members 12 or l4 about an axis transverse the longitudinal axis ofthe member and further permits rotation of the winding member relativeto the clasp member about its own axis.

In addition to the yoke portion 58, clasp member l comprises a combteeth-bearing portion it having a length conforming substantially tothat of the body of the winding member E2. The teeth 62 will be observed(Fig. as forming an acut angle with the portion 69. The purpose of thisangulation is both to facilitate removal of the clasp member from themold in its manufacture and to assure proper disposition of the claspwith relation to the curvature of the head in use of the curler. Thecomb teeth not only aid in the securing of the curler to the hair but,by reason of the hair separation they provide, help in the properdistribution of waving and neutralizing solutions.

The clasp member l4 terminates at its end opposite the yoke portion 58in a tang Ed which latches onto the annular rib 29 of the flange it. Anauxiliary tang 66 is adapted to seat between any two of the saw teeth 33and thereby operates to prevent any substantial rotation of the windingmember l2 relative to the clasp member once the detachable connection ismade. Shoulder is engaged by the thumb nail in breaking the connection.

Referring now to the sleeve member 55, the same will be seen ascomprising a plurality of prongs It, three in the particularconstruction. Such prongs extend from a trunk portion 72 which hasintegral therewith a serrated circular flange 54. An aperture 76 in thetrunk portion 72 has a diameter allowing for accommodation of the pin 36of the winding member.

Prongs it, as they leave the trunk portion 72, first gradually convergeand then gradually diverge or flare, the point of maximum convergencebeing midway between the ends of the prongs. The width and thickness ofthe prongs progressively decrease from the trunk portion 72' to theirpoint of maximum convergence. Beyond this point the width of the prongsremains substantially uniform, but the thickness thereof continues toprogressively decrease. The back of each prong between the trunk end andthe point of maximum convergence of the prongs is provided with anelongated triangular depression l8 (Fig. l) which is V-shaped in crosssection. Within these depressions are projections Bil which, in theassembled curler, abut the truncated projections 3 associated with theflange it of the winding member 52. The outer surfaces of theprojections 86, which provide a tight it with the flange i6, representextensions of the outer surface of the trunk portion '52.

A principal advantage of the open prong construction resides in the factthat it allows for free circulation of waving and neutralizingsolutions. Also, by reason of the flexibility of the d prongs, they maybe readily passed in either direction through the flange it.

In the assembled curler, the ends of the prongs it are received in thenotches of the boss 44, the dimensional relationship of the sleeve andwinding member being such that the prongs abut the inner face of theflange 18. Teeth 25 carried by the projections 2d necessarily extendbeyond the periphery of the sleeve in the area of these teeth.Projections 25, together with the spokes 28 on the flange It, serve asguides for the prongs lb and further serve to prevent rotation of thesleeve element relative to the winding member. Projections 24 are inexact alignment with the spokes.

Using curlers conforming to the invention in the practice of thepreviously mentioned Brown process, the hair is divided in theconventional manner into four sectionsler"t front, right front, crownand neckline. Starting with the neckline section, a tress of the hair isparted on to the width of the curler and about one inch deep. Usingcotton, the tress is thoroughly soaked with the waving lotion. An endpaper is folded about the soaked tress and brought downward to cover theend of the tress. The winding member of the assembled but open curler isthen placed under the end paper, which is gripped by the teeth 25. Thewinding member is rolled under to the scalp, the hair being spreadevenly across the winding member by the fingers. When the scalp isreached, the detachable connection is made and another tress parted offfor winding on another of the curlers. for the neckline section. Whenthis section is complete, the other sections are wound sequentially, thefront sections being normally wound before the crown section. Abouteight curlers are used for each front section and four for the crownsection. In the case of the crown section only, the direction of thewinding is upward, not under. With the winding complete, each individualcurl is resaturated with the waving lotion,

' an eye dropper sometimes being employed here in lieu of cotton. Aftera working period of about 30 minutes, the hair while on the curlers isthoroughly rinsed with water either by holding the head under a taper bypouring pitchers of water through the curls. The rinsed hair istowelblotted and the sleeves taken out to loosen the hair coils. Removalof the sleeve in any location of a curler is easily accomplished withoutunclasping the curler or disturbing the curl by pulling on the flange itwith the thumb and middle finger while at the same time pushing on thepin 38 with the index finger. After the expanded hair coils have becomesubstantially dry, the curlers are unclasped and the hair unwoundtherefrom. With removal of all the curlers, the operation is completeexcept for combing and brushing of the hair.

We claim:

1. In a hair curler havinga clasp member and a winding member rotatableabout its own axis relative to the clasp member, the combination of asleeve element which in operative position overlies at least a portionof the winding member so as to increase the effective Wrapping surfacethereof, said element being slotted from one end thereof andbeing'removable from the winding member with the clasp member in closedposition.

2. In a hair curler having a winding member and a clasp member, thewinding member being swivelly connected at one end toone end of theOrdinarily, six curlers are usedclasp member, the opposed ends of saidmembers being detachably connectable, the combination with the windingmember of a plurality of centrally disposed, radially extendingprojections terminating in fine teeth capable of gripping an end paper,and a poly-pronged sleeve element which removably surrounds the windingmember and embraces said projections while permitting exposure of thesaid teeth.

3. A pair of curler according to claim 2 in which the clasp member isprovided with a row of comb teeth along its inner face.

4. A hair curler conforming to claim 2 in which the winding member hasintegral therewith a, generally circular flange at each end thereof, oneof said flanges being provided with spokes serving as guides for theprongs of the sleeve element, the other of said flanges being abutted bythe ends of t1e prongs in the assembled condition of the curler.

5. In a hair curler having a winding member and a clasp member, thewinding member being swivelly connected at one end to one end of saidclasp member, a, sleeve element overlying at least a portion of thewinding member to increase the eifective wrapping surface thereof, saidsleeve element having at least one slot extending genrally axially fromone end thereof, and means for detachably connecting the opposing endsof said winding member and clasp member extending through said slot, thesleeve member being removable from the winding member when the windingmember and the clasp member are detachably connected in the closedposition.

6. A hair curler as defined in claim 5 in which said detachableconnecting means includes an annular member surrounding an end of saidwinding member held in spaced relation thereto by a plurality of spokesand said sleeve member includes at least as many slots as there arespokes, each spoke extending through one of said slots.

'7. A hair curler as defined in claim 6 in which the sleeve memberextends substantially the full length of said winding member andprogressively decreases in diameter from each end toward the center.

RAYMOND E. REED. JOSEPH H. BRANT. RAYMOND J. OLSON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,447,998 Popin Mar. H3, 1923 1,951,748 Brown Mar. 20, 19342,564,558 Berman Aug. 14, 1951 OTHER REFERENCES Modern Beauty ShopMagazine, April 1944, pg. 125. (Copy in Div. 55.)

